Despite
the break from school runs and homework duties, a survey has revealed
that 60% of parents are ‘secretly relieved’ when the summer holidays are over
and their children go back to school, with almost 80% claiming that they feel
under pressure to keep their children ‘constantly entertained’ over the summer
break.
A total
of 2,000 parents were questioned for the survey, carried out in June by family
deals website LittleBird, which also revealed that one third of parents put
themselves under pressure to keep their children constantly entertained, with
pester power and pressure from other parents and the media accounting for a
further 37% of responses.
Naomi
Bloomstein, co-founder of LittleBird and mum of two says: “As parents, we
can feel that we have to fill each day of the holidays with as many exciting
activities as possible. It’s understandable that parents want their
children to have a memorable summer, but a few well-chosen days out and
activities will achieve this. It’s good to balance planned activities
with ‘chill-out’ time so that children learn how to make their own
entertainment and parents can keep costs down. Studies have shown that
‘boredom’ actually helps children to develop their creativity and imagination.”
More
than three quarters of survey respondents said they also worried about the cost
of keeping children entertained over the holidays with over 65% spending up to
£150 on an average day out. However, in general, parents are becoming
more financially
savvy with 57% saying they budgeted for days
out and activities in advance and 86% taking advantage of discount offers available for
museums, parks and attractions by actively seeking out vouchers before deciding
on their day out.
Naomi
adds: “When you do decide to have a family day out, try to plan ahead as
early as possible and always shop around for bargains and discount vouchers
beforehand in order to keep costs down. The money parents can potentially
save is definitely worth the extra effort involved.”
